Ballet communicates through the medium of movement. It has distinctive capacities to generate meaning and foster understanding of complex ideas. GPA artists work specifically with ideas that are found in the Bible and have significant implications for how we live our lives.

Part of the artistic process behind putting a ballet like ours on stage is a dialogue between text and movement. Melody and I choose biblical passages relevant to the themes of our current ballet, and I conduct an in-depth academic study of these texts. I bring these same passages of Scripture to the dancers, and together we ask questions to better understand how the texts reveal God’s character and God’s intention for us. Then the dancers let their learning from Scripture shape how they present choreography on stage.

We offer you a (metaphorical) backstage pass to be part of this dialogue by reading “The Word in the Wings.” You’re invited to learn about the deep, biblical roots of our performance and about how GPA artists make connections between the biblical texts we study and the art you’ll see on stage.

On “The Word in the Wings,” you’ll find:

• “From the study” exposition of biblical texts, dealing with the themes of a ballet in production by synthesizing multiple, related passages;
• “From the studio” interviews with dancers, describing how they allow Scripture to shape their movement performance and sharing how they see God at work in the creative process and in their own lives;
• “From the stage” analysis of our art, explaining how choreography, staging, and movement quality communicate a particular message from a biblical text.

We hope this opens the door for even deeper dialogue between you and God as the story of Scripture presents itself in new, perhaps unexpected ways through the medium of movement.